# Integrating Computer-Assisted Parent Training Therapy into Community Mental Health Clinic Practice

> **NIH NIH R34** · RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL · 2020 · $241,202

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) including oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct
disorder (CD) are among the most common mental health referrals for children and adolescents.
Despite the overwhelming evidence that parents are an essential component in effective treatments for
youth behavior problems, there is still a gap in the use of these techniques in community mental health
clinics (CMHCs). The use of technology may facilitate the delivery of parent training and broaden the
availability of these approaches to improve the integrity of community treatment and meet the needs of
families in a more timely and efficient manner. Computerized interventions can be delivered at a lower
cost, with less demand on staff time for training, increased protocol fidelity, portability, and ease of use.
This would greatly increase the scalability and dissemination potential of such approaches. Despite the
apparent logic in using these programs to augment services, there may be barriers to the use of
computerized programs by clinicians and parents. Understanding and addressing barriers to the
implementation of such approaches has the potential to improve the use of these approaches to meet
the needs of underserved youth in CMHCs.
 This project involves adapting a computerized parenting intervention (Parenting Wisely; PW) that
has established efficacy in improving parenting skills and reducing youth behavior problems to a
community outpatient treatment facility. The project aims to 1) obtain implementation level data on the
acceptability and feasibility of the protocol for parents and providers; 2) provide data on therapeutic
mechanisms including therapist fidelity and competency as well as parenting skills and self-efficacy; 3)
identify factors that promote or hinder the use and effectiveness of the computer-assisted parent
training protocol for providers and parents.; and 4) examine the efficacy of PW compared to treatment
as usual on disruptive behavior disorders. An open trial (N=10) will be conducted and modifications to
treatment will be made using an iterative process based on interviews with parents and providers.
Second, a 2 group randomized trial with 50 parents, 25 in each condition, will compare PW to treatment
as ususal (TAU). Follow-up interviews will be conducted at the end of treatment and 3 and 6 months
post-treatment. The use of a low-cost, low-intensity electronic intervention aligns with RFA objectives
to: 1) conduct “research on interventions with previously demonstrated efficacy, for use … in broader
community settings”; 2) conduct “innovative services research directions that require preliminary testing
or development”; 3)“address the mechanism by which the adapted intervention or augmentation will
enhance outcomes'; and 4) has the potential to inform practice-relevant questions including
“improvement in response rate, speed of response …or uptake in community/practice.”

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9939719
- **Project number:** 5R34MH113598-03
- **Recipient organization:** RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Christine Wolff
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $241,202
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-07-25 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9939719

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9939719, Integrating Computer-Assisted Parent Training Therapy into Community Mental Health Clinic Practice (5R34MH113598-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9939719. Licensed CC0.

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